Chance Meeting
by Golden-Heart the 2nd
Summary: A drabble written for a writeworld prompt over at Tumblr. In a change of the events from canon, Tarrlok encounters Korra before anyone else and welcomes her to Republic City. Might one day be expanded into a full-length AU multi-chap fic. Korrlok, of course.


It is a brisk morning in Republic City. Leaves were hued in various colours of red and orange as Tarrlok strides through the park in the centre of Republic City. He lets the wind ruffle the lapels of his coat as he makes his way towards the lake to feed the turtleducks. A smile curves his lip slightly as he remembers how his mentor, Councilman Sokka, would often speak of how Fire Lord Zuko, now retired, often did the same thing.

His mouth slants upward in another half-smile as he thinks of the Fire Lord and Councilman Sokka, good friends of the Avatar. It is one of his hopes that he would be a good friend to the Avatar as well. Sokka had, before his death, often made mention to him of a little girl in the South Pole he was watching grow up. A sad smile often emerged into Sokka's eyes at his mention of her since he explained to Tarrlok that she was related to Aang. That she was Aang, since she was his reincarnation, but Sokka had never given Tarrlok any name for the girl, so the thought of her intrigues him.

He walks down to the lake and throws out some pieces of bread to the hungry turtleducks. He bends down to watch the ducklings hurry after the food and then gulp it down.

His watching and turtleduck feeding complete, Tarrlok rises to his full stature and sets off in the direction of the bridge that leads back to the inner city. A commotion behind him causes him to stop short, even though he is now halfway to the city, as a large polar bear dog and a teenaged girl sitting astride it almost bowl him over.

"Quick, climb on!" The girl orders him, taking him by the hand and helping him aboard. He glances back at the policeman following the dog and the girl, his eyes wide with dismay. Why, of all days, should he happen to be befriended by one of the criminals in the city that he was working against.

Tarrlok fumbles for words to say as the wind brushes against his face as the polar bear dog carries them further into the city. He is impressed by the girl's toned body and her infectious smile and her air of commanding situations. To his mind, she feels oddly familiar to him, but the thought rattles him as to how.

The dog reaches the city and she reins it into a stop as he notices the police corps moving in on them. With one flick of his hand, he alerts them to stop chasing the girl. The girl doesn't appear to notice how he's halted her pursuers as she hops down from the animal, extending her hand to help him down.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he accepts, now finding himself staring into her eyes. A blush races down his neck and he awkwardly places his hand on the nape of his neck as he inspects the girl, discovering her to be Southern Water Tribe with sparkling sea-blue eyes and quite beautiful and she commands an air of respect about her despite her tiny stature.

He is taken aback by her beauty, and, for a moment, knows nothing of what to say to her but she meets his gaze boldly, breaking the silence.

"Have we met before?" She asks, her face alight with excitement. "This is my first time here in Republic City." She pauses briefly, and then amends, "I've come here to Republic City to seek out Tenzin for airbending training." As she explains, he sees her palms light up with flames, but firebending is antithetical to the entirety of the Water Tribe.

She smiles into his bewildered eyes,

"My name's Korra, and I'm the Avatar, and everyone's just gonna have to deal with it!"

_The Avatar. The Avatar. Spirits help me, I am discovering I love the Avatar. _

Ignoring his scattered thoughts, Tarrlok proffers her a genuine smile and takes her hand. He knows Tenzin will probably be annoyed by the fact that she'll be coming to his house in the company of his rival, but that is the farthest thing from his thoughts at the moment.

"And I am Councilman Tarrlok," He introduces himself, bowing to her. "Welcome to Republic City, Avatar Korra."


End file.
